Joey Atterbury is no stranger to racing. He started his career in 2007 in ICSCC Spec Miata events around the Northwest, where he was named “Novice of the Year.” As a novice in the second season of the Jetta TDI Cup, he made good on his name and won the first race of the season. We sat down with Atterbury to get his take on running clean and racing hard.

I don’t think we purposely break the rules, but out on the racetrack everyone is going for that 1st position. It’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time, and sometimes you have to make that opportunity happen and hopefully it doesn’t include any contact. For myself, patience is key and being able to take advantage of the car in front/behind at any time possible is a great strategy to win.

The first person I called after crossing the finish line was my father. He has been my biggest supporter through my whole race career and continues to be there for me every step of the way. I couldn’t ask for a better sponsor and fan!

I love to compete. Especially against several drivers in the series. So far the most fun this season has been with Taylor Broekemeier. That kid is fast and consistent out there and is always willing to battle you to the end of the race!

Eco-conscious racing is the future, plain and simple. It is better for everyone that VW has decided to undertake this series, it once again proves that racing can be as competitive as it’s ever been, yet still be eco-conscious. It’s a win-win scenario!

What would I tell non-viewers? That it’s 30 of the best up-and-coming drivers in North America competing in identical cars, while still being eco-conscious. It provides the most intense competition since the cars are identical and VW has done an amazing job keeping the series a true eco-conscious racing series.

I don’t let emotions get to me on the track. When I put that visor down on my helmet, everything else switches off and I am purely focused on racing, this is what needs to happen in order to be successful out on the racetrack with such close competition.

I hope that the Jetta TDI Cup will launch my career in Pro Racing. This has been my dream ever since I was a little kid and I hope to be doing it for the rest of my life. Who knows, maybe I’ll have an opportu nity to keep on pro racing for a long time just because of this series and the attention we get.

Before a race I talk to the other drivers about how to race clean and still be fa st. In my opinion I think that this is key, I would much rather have someone work with me than crash into the side of me because we were having a small battle and not thinking about the entire race. Once I am in the car I focus as much as possible on the first lap, not just the first corner but the entire lap and where it puts me and my strategy for the whole race.  You always have to be thinking ahead.

Some of the new racers make everyone nervous. The one that stands out in my mind is Andrew Novich. So far that kid has been a magnet to any and every car around him in all of the sessions on track.

I think that it’s great to be able to race with people from all over North America. I’ve never been able to do this and the opportunity that VW has given is just amazing, we have people that come from cars as big as Mustangs and as small as Miata’s, not to mention auto-x and karters that range from as far south as Mexico all the way up to Canada. Everyone gets along no matter where they are from, I think it’s extremely cool to know everyone from all over and see how they have progressed in racing.